Sprouting apparatus.



PATENTED JULY 2l, 1908".

E. A, PETERS. y SPROUNNG APPMATUSi APPLIGATON FlLED APR. 3, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No 891648 y PATENTED JULY 21,1908.

l n P. A. PETERS.-

SPROUTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1908.

MEETS-SHEET Ys,

v 1A dui-l5 Ferilli@ .Fllif@ t FRED A. PETERS, OF ABRAMS, WISCONSIN.

SPROUTING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .any 21, isos.

lApplication filed April 3, 1908. Serial No. 424,953.

To altwhom t may concern." 4

Be 1t known that l, FRED A. PETERS, a

citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident oi Abrams, Oconto county, State of Visconsin, have invented certain new and.

Auseful yImprovements in Sprouting sApparatus, of'which the following isa specification.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved form of apparatus for' germinating or. sprouting grains, tubers and ul particularly for the'pur'pose of rendering. them more digestible as animal food, to provide animproved construction for appa ratus or' this character in which the grain is laced in series of superimposed drawers and 1n which the sides of the drawers themselves form the inclosing side walls or the apparatus and' are'so arranged' asv to provide suitable openings for the admission ci air in a suitable manner for promoting to a high degree the process of germination; to provide an apparatus of this character comprising a series oi separately removable superimposed drawers having perioratedbottoms and so arranged v"that water sprayed. into the uppercompartl mentwill pcrcolate downwardly through the grain from one compartment to another so as to moisten vall of the grain' without necessitating the withdrawal' of the individual drawers for that purpose; and to provide an improved. form of skelet-on frame structure for 'supporting the drawers in sprouting 'apparatus of this character. These objects are accomplished by the device shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is aperspective'view of a sprouting apparatus constructed according to this invention, some of the grain drawers being removed to illustrate the skeleton structure of the frame. Fig.-2 is a detail showing the method ofattaching the T-bars which serve as guides for the drawers to the u right strips at the .front and back of the ske eton lframe. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse section taken on a plane parallel with the front of the apparatus, as indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 4, and illustrating the arrangement of the air spaces at the sides of the frame. Fig. 4 is a vert-ical section taken at right angles to the plane of Fig.l 3 on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, the bars 5 and 74y which would he seen in the background, being omitted for the sake oi clearness. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5---5 of Fig. d, illustrating the relation of the front and back drawers and their positions in the skeleton frame.

ln the form shown in the drawings,'the supporting trame is a skeleton structure comprismg upright angle bars l at its corners, 'iorizontal angle bars 2 andS forming' bottom and top :trames connecting the uprights l, a series of intermediate horizontal frames formed of front and back angle bars ll, trans verse T-bars 5 and 6, and intermediate uprights 7 which brace the horizontal ybars 4 and 5 to prevent sagging between the ends oi the iframe. y I i .'The skeleton traine .is 'supported upon a 4plurality of legs S, as illustrated in Fig. l. -The bars of the skeleton frame are so arranged as to subdivide the l'rame into a plu rality of tiers lol. superimposed 4compartments, all ol said compartments being of the same size and each being provided with a tray or drawer Q- by means or' which it is almost completely filled. 'lfl'ie .top ol' the frame is provided with doors l0 which are as to permit the entire top 'to be opened vso that water may be sprayedv into :the upper all of the drawers while the drawersare in position in the frame without. requiringthe withdrawal of the ndividualidrawers furthe moistening of the grain therein.

Each of the drawers consists oi'a rectangular boX open ythe top and having its side of wood. The bottom of eachf d `wer is in woven wire whose mesh is close enough to support the grain while at the same time per mitting the free passage oi air and .water through it.

The front wall oi each of the iront drawers preferably extends in each direction beyond theside walls, so as to form anges which serve as stops for preventing the drawers irombeing pushed inward beyond the proper posi-tion, and these iianges also abut against the front bars of the frame to completelyv close the front wall against air curren.s. The rear face of the frames and the rear drawers similarly" form a closure for the rear of the apparatus. The side walls of vthe drawers 9 are ofbabout the same height as the spacing between the l'ront angle bars 'l. The side walls of the drawers 9, as will be seen from Fig. 3, do not abut against the vertical flanges of the T-bars 5 at the sides of the frame and therefore provide air inlet and outlet openings 12 between the tops of the the form'of-a metal screen 11 prcl'erably of' hinged to the skeleton frame in such manner v y 1 drawers and allowed to percolat'e through walls imperiorate, being preferably formed A,

sides oi the drawers 9 and the T-bars 5 and ing the inlet communicating with air spaces 13 which eX- tend across the entire frame between each horizontalglayer of drawers. The air enteropenings 12- and becoming warmed through contact with. the germinating grain passes upward through the screen bottoms l1 of the drawers and through the interstices between the particles of grain,v

thus insuring ample aeration to promote rapid germination or the grain. A space 1s also allowed between the iront and rear drawers to create an upward draft to 'carry oil some of the heated air.

.In the form shown., the iront and rear angle bars 4 are laced with their horizontal b j. flanges at the bottom and the T-.bars have C l the vertical web cut. oil near eacn end so as to ermit the horizontal iianees to be bent ,n downward as illustratfid in niv. i2 so as to f o rest in the bosom of the angle Llwith the u e; 2 per surl'ace of the horizontal flanges oi the bars 6 flush 'with the upper edge ot the bar 4r. The bars 4, 6, and 7 arethen connected together by a single bolt or rivet 14 at each joint. I middle web horizontal and Yliush with the tops of the angle bars e, as shown in Fig. 3, and are bolted to the corner angles 3 and uprights 7 asin llig. 5.

The operation of the device shown is as follows :-A. quantity ci grainY is spread evenly over the bottom et' each 'of the drawers 9, the drawers being slid out from the skeleton frame for the purpose of filling or emptying them. lll/hen all ci the drawers are in position in the frame, the covers 10 are opened and lall oi' the grain is nioistened by spraying water upon that in the upper set oi drawers and allowing it to percolate through the entire series; The covers are then closed. The surplus moisture drains eti' at the bot tom, and the grain is thereafter moistened at suitable intervals to prevent vits becoming dried. The construction admits of withdrawing any of the drawers and Yexamining its contents from time 'to time, or of supplying moisture to any drawer individually. The structure of' the skeleton frame is such that the apparatus may be readilylrnocked down and re-assembled without requiring special skill on the part of the person assembling it. This is olf particular advantage in cases where large units are used, whose size is too great to permit of their being readily transported in the assembled condition.

The device shown is particularly intended Jfor preparing grain 'which is to be used for animal food. When feeding the animals vthe operator empties the drawers in rotation, iill ing each with Jfresh grain when its germinated contents are removed. The total number or" drawers in use should be such that the grain The 1t-bars 5 are placed with their seaelie in each will have reached the proper degree of germination, when it is reached in its proper order oli rotation. The operation oi the apparatus is thus continuous,

What l claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is zl. A sprouting apparatus, comprising a skeleton frame and a tier oi drawers mounted therein, one above the other, each oi said .drawers having a perforated bottom, the

walls of'said drawers being arranged to overlap the frame at one side to prevent the'inflow or escape of air at such side and being spaced apart at another side to provide air inlet and outlet openings at said other side'.

2. A sprouting apparatus, comprising va supporting frame, a tier of removable drawers in said fra-me, each having a perforated bottom adapted to' support grain therein and having side walls attached to said bottom Vlier confining the grain thereon, ahil a door form-v 'ing a closure for the top olisaid frame and adapted to be opened to permit water to be supplied to the grain in said drawers while said drawers are in position in the Jframe.

3. A sprouting apparatus, comprising a skeleton frame and a tier oi drawers mounted therein, the bars or said frame being .arranged to ferm guides for slidably supporting said,

drawe'rathe vfront of said frame comprising intersecting bars extending between 'said drawers, and the fronts of said drawers being arranged to overlap said bars to form al closure ci said Viront against air currents.

e.. il sprouting apparatus, comprising a skeleton Vl'rame formed of metal bars arranged in the form et a 'series of horizontal frames connected together by uprights, drawers sup-' ported on said frames, each frame comprising transverse and longitudinal bars connected together with ilush upper surfaces to support and guide the drawers.

l 5. ln a sprout'iig apparatus, the combina'- tien oi a supporting frame and a series oi tiers oi drawers, said'trame comprising a plurality of similar horizontal frames rigidly connected one above the other by uprights, each of 'saidhorizontal frames comprising a plurality. of'

parallel T-bars connected by transverse ars at their ends, the T-bars at opposite sides of said horizontal frames being disposed with' their middle webs in a horizontal plane substantially Flush with the top oiv said transverse bars and the intermediate T-bars being disposed with their middle webs vertical and fit-h their base flangesl substantially flush with the tops of said transversehars.

1908.A .FRED A. PETERS.

Vllitnesses:

ll. A. RUMMLER,

MARY M Dir-Liften.

Signed at Chicago this 28th day of March,l 

